Tripper or deliverer for conveying apparatus.



No. 673,539. Patented May 7, I901. J. B. HUMPHREYS. .I'BIPPER 0RDELIVEBEB'VFOR CONVEYING APPARATUS.

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1 UNITED- STATES PATENT OF ICE.

JAMES BARNES HUMPHREYS, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR TO THE ROBINSCONVEYING BELT COMPANY, OF NEW JERSEY.

TRIPPEROR DELIVER ER FOR CONVEYING APPARATUS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 673,539, 7 dated May'7, 1901. Application filed May 24, 1900. Serial No.1'7,804. (N0 model-JTo all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, JAMES BARNES HUM- PHREYS, of 14.6 EastThirty-seventh street, in the city of New York, borough of Manhattan,and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvementsin Trippers or Deliverers for Conveying Apparatus, such asConveying-Belts, of which the following is a specification, referring toillustrated drawings.

Where broken, granular, or other materials are being carried from onepoint to anotheras, for example, by a conveying-beltit is oftendesirable to deliver the material from the belt before reaching theextreme end, and it is not desirable to mechanically remove the materialby brushing it or scraping it off the belt transversely or by incliningthe belt so as to cause it to deliver sidewise by gravity.

The present invention relates to means for delivering the material in amanner free from all these objections.

Although the invention is capable of considerable variation, in itspreferred form it possesses the following advantageous features: Aconveying-belt is used. The belt at the tripper or deliverer runsdownward and rearward around an idler-pulley, and then at a lower levelturns backi. a, forward into its normal line of travel. At the tripperor deliverer therefore the belt makes an ogee or goosenecked curve likethe letter S and the material on the belt falls off as it passes aroundthe upper pulley and would be delivered back onto the belt beneath ifallowed to;

butI interpose a chute that catches the falling material and delivers itclear of the belt. Furthermore, these two idler-pulleys and the chutemay be mounted in a movable frame preferably running on tracks orguides, so that the point of delivery can be varied lengthwise of thebelt at will. This may be done manually, or where conditions make itadvantageous I may utilize the movement of the idlers to give travel tothe frame of the tripper or deliverer, and thus cause it to deliveralong a line of bins and distribute the material very evenly. The travelmay be stopped and reversed manually or automatically.

The present invention therefore is directed to the creation andperfecting of means for accomplishing the objects which I have justenumerated and some of which appear to be entirely novel.

Oertainother objects are also accomplished and will be understood fromthe following detailed description of certain embodiments of theinvention.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of a very complete form ofmy invention and combining all the features which I have enumerated.Fig. 2 is a larger view of the same thing, showing certain otherfeatures. Fig. 3 is a detailed end view with the hood and apron anddelivery-chutes omitted and some parts shown in section. Figs. 4 and 5are detailed views of parts of the connections for giving travel to thetripper. Fig. 6 is a side view of parts of a slightly-modifiedconstruction of tripper.

'The belt I) in Figs. 1, 2, and 6 is supposed to be driven and runningtoward the right. The return portion of the belt I) after passing aroundthe-fixed pulley b is shown only in Fig. 1 and does not concern thepresent invention. The frame of the tripper is marked 0, the hood 0, andthe delivery-chute o. The two idler-pulleys d and d, which serve asdriving-pulleys for the travel of the tripper and derive their powerfrom the belt, are mounted in the frame, so as to cause the belt to makethe ogee or gooseneck curve, like a reversed letter S, as clearly seenin the figures. Consequently the material which is carried by the beltup to and over the pulley d is delivered into the hood. 0 and chute c,and thus removed from the belt. If desired, a rotary brush 2, drivenfrom one of the pulleysfor example, by a rope connection, as shown atthe right of Fig. 3may be applied to the inverted carrying-face of thebelt to brush it off in order principally to save wear between thesurface of the belt and the pulley d.

In order to provide for the travel of the tripper, rails f, supportingflanged wheels f, are employed, and in order to prevent the accidentaltraveling of the tripper-a rail-lock g, of any suitable form, isprovided, by which the tripper may be locked fast to the rails whentravel is not desired.

The tripper may of course be manually moved along the rail; butautomatic means for giving the travel are shown in the drawings. As Fig.6 is on a' larger scale than Fig. 2, I will first explain these means inconnection with Fig. 0. Each of the pulleys d d carries on the end ofthe shaft a friction-pulley h h, and against these the inner surface ofthe rim of the large wheel is adapted to be pressed, so that by theslight movement of the center of the wheel transversely of its axiseither one of the friction-pulleys h It may be made to drive the wheel kat will in either direction, or at the intermediate position of thewheel it may be free of both these friction-pulleys. In practicelhavegiven an adjustment of one-half an inch to an inch at the center ofwheel is in order to throw it into frictional engagement with either ofthe friction-pulleys h h. The wheel It turns loosely on the shaft m; butthe shaft in is itself mounted on the end of shaft 19, which turnsaround an axis e, so that by turning shaftp ninety degrees the shaft mis moved transversely of its length sufiiciently to'take the wheel 70out of engagement with one of the friction-pulleys h h and intoengagement with the other. Leaving for a-moment the means for producingthis adjusting or reversing movement of the apparatus, I will trace theconnections by which the wheel It drives the tripper alongits track inone or the other direction corresponding to the rotation ofthe wheel 70in one or the other direction. In Fig. 6 arrows indicate the movement ofthe belt and the consequent movement of the pulleys h h. Supposing thepulley h is in contact with the wheel 70, then the wheel 7c will heturned right-handedly. The wheel 70 is connected by a link 1' andcrank-arm s with a gear-Wheel t, which turns upon the fixed axis oraxial line 6. It is only because of the slight difference oreccentricity of the shaft 'm as compared with the gear-wheel or pinion tthat the link-and-crank connections 4" s are employed. Various othermeans may be employed as well-known equivalents. For example, the pinwhich connects the link and the wheel is may rest against a radialsurface on the crank s or lie in a radial slot and the link '1' beentirely omitted. Moreover, as the gear or pinion t is used to turn thelarger gear-wheel i'- and one of the pairs of track-wheels f, and sogive motion to the frame of the tripper, it is obvious that the slightmovement of approach and recession between the shaft 'm and thegear-wheel t is so very small that the shaft m may be directly geared tothe gear-Wheel t, (with only a negligible departure from strictlyaccurate mechanical principles if the gear-wheels have epicycloidalteeth and with obsolutely no departure from strictly accurate mechanicalprinciples if involute gear-teeth are used.) The drawings may beconsidered as showing either form of teeth.

Returning now to a consideration of the adjusting movement of the shaftm, the shaft 19 is mounted in the' fixed frame of the machine so as toturn about the fixed center or axis 6, and it is rigidly connected witha sector-shaped or fan-shaped piece 19", which is slotted, as shown, forpurposes that will presently appear. Obviously the turning of thissector-piece p and its connected shaft 19 through an angle of aboutninety degrees in either direction will displace the shaft m, andconsequently the wheel is, and cause the wheel is to press against oneor the other of the friction-pulleys h h, as previously explained.Therefore the stopping or reversing of the travel of the whole tripperapparatus maybe accomplished manually by turn ing the piece in, and Isometimes provide a handle or crank, as shown at'the right of Fig. 3, onthe shaftp for this object. To accomplish it automatically, I provide aheavy weight w, secured on a loose crank-arm to, which is free to turnon the shaft m between the pins 19, adjustably fixed in the slot in thesector-shaped piece p. This weight w or its arm w strikes a fixedobstacle as the tripper travels along the track, and the weight w isthereby arrested until the shaft m passes under its center of gravity.Then the weight to falls heavily with its crank-arm w, and when the armw strikes the pin 13 in the slot'in the piece 19 it turns the piece tothe end of its movement, thereby shifting the center of the wheel 76 andcausing it to be driven in a reverse direction. In Fig. 6 the parts areshown in position at the moment when the tripper reaches the extremeleft hand of the travel. The weight w is falling toward the right and isabout to adjust the piece p toward the right, carrying the rim of thewheel is out of contact with the pulley hand into contact with'the wheelh, and thereby reversing the rotation of the wheel 10, and consequentlyof wheel f, that runs on the rail f. As shown, the wheel is may besupposed to be still turning, as shown by the arrow, causing the wheel fto turn left-handedly and carry the whole apparatus toward the left; butan instant later these conditions will be reversed. I show at a; anobstruction which may be supposed to have interfered with the Weight wand tilted it over by the movement of the tripper.

Figs. 4 and 5 serve to illustrate parts of the mechanism shown both inFig. 6 and in Figs. 1, 2, and 3. The principal difierence between Fig. 6and these latter figures lies merely in the fact that the pulleys h h inFig. 6 press interiorly against the rim of the wheel 75, while in Figs.1, 2, and 3 they press exteriorly against it. It will not therefore benecessary to enter into detail in connection with Figs. 1, 2, and 3further than has been already done in the previous explanation.

Having now described the preferred forms of my invention that carry outall the objects enumerated it will be readily understood that some ofthe features of my invention may he used without others and in variousmodifications.

I desire to claim as the novel and characteristic features of myinvention the follow- 1. In combination in a tripper ordeliverer forconveyers, and with the frame thereof, a plurality of idler-pulleysaround which the belt runs, and over one of which the material isdelivered from the belt, a chute interposed to receive the material anddeliver it clear of the belt, and a means actuated by said beltpulleysfor giving automatic travel to the tripper, substantially as set forth.

2. In combination in a tripper or deliverer for conveyers, and with theframe thereof, a plurality of idler-pulleys around which the belt runs,and over one of which the material is delivered from the belt, a chuteinterposed to receive the material and deliver it clear of the belt, andone or more driving-wheels and means for actuating the driving-wheelsfor giving travel to the said tripper, substantially as set forth.

3. In combination in a tripper or deliverer for conveyers, and with theframe thereof, a plurality of idler-pulleys around which the belt runs,and over one of which the material is delivered from the belt, a chuteinterposed to receive the material and deliverit clear of the belt, oneor more driving-wheels for giving travel to the tripper, and connectionsbetween the idlers and the driving wheel or Wheels for actuating thelatter, substantially as set forth.

4. In combination in a tripper or deliverer for conveyers, and with theframe thereof, a plurality of idler-pulleys around which the belt runs,and over one of which the material is delivered from the belt, a chuteinterposed to receive the material and deliver it clear of the belt, oneor more driving-wheels for giving travel to the tripper, and reversibleconnections between the idlers and the driving wheel or wheels foractuating the latter, substantially as set forth.

5. In combination in a tripper or deliverer for con veyers, and with theframe thereof, a plurality of idler-pulleys around which the belt runs,and over one of which the material is delivered from the belt, a chuteinterposed to receive the material and deliver it clear of the belt, oneor more driving-wheels for giving travel to the tripper,frictionalconnections for driving the said wheel or wheels from the said pulleys,and reversing mechanism therefor, and means for controlling saidreversing mechanism by the travel or movement of the said tripper,substantially as set forth.

6: In combination in a tripper or deliverer for conveyers, and with theframe thereof, a plurality of idler-pulleys around which the belt runs,and over one of which the material is delivered from the belt, a chuteinterposed to receive the material and deliver it clear of the belt,said tripper being mounted to travel bodily on guides, propellingdevices which are mounted on and travel with the said tripper ordeliverer for propelling it, substantially as set forth. I

7. A tripper or delivererfor a conveyingbelt provided with idler pulleysmounted upon its frame and over which the belt runs, andmechanically-driven brushing apparatus connected to be driven from 'atleast one of the said idlers by the power derived from the belt itself,substantially as set forth.

8. A tripper or deliverer for a conveyingbelt provided withidler-pulleys over which the belt runs, and a means actuated by the oneor more of said idler-pulleys for giving travel to the tripper,substantially as set forth.

9. A tripper or deliverer for a conveyingbelt provided withidler-pulleys over which the belt runs, a friction-driven wheel, twofriction-pulleys driven from the said belt and driving said wheel inopposite directions, connections from said wheel for giving travel tothe tripper, and means for moving said wheel into and out of engagementwith said frictionpulleys, substantially as set forth.

10. A tripper or deliverer fora conveyingbelt provided withidler-pulleys over which the belt runs, a friction-driven wheel, twofriction-pulleys driven from the said belt and driving said wheel inopposite directions, connections from said wheel for giving travel tothe tripper, and an arm and connections for moving said wheel into andout of engagement with said pulleys, substantially as set forth.

11. A tripper or deliverer for a conveyingbelt provided withidler-pulleys over which the belt runs, a friction-driven wheel, twofriction-pulleys driven from the said belt and driving said wheel inopposite directions, connections from said wheel for giving travel tothe tripper, and an arm and connections for moving said wheel into andout of engagement with said pulleys, said arm having a lost-motionconnection whereby it may acquire momentum before acting, substantiallyas set forth.

12. A tripper or deliverer for a conveyingbelt provided withidler-pulleys over which the belt runs, a friction-driven wheel, twofriction-pulleys driven from the said belt and driving said wheel inopposite directions, connections from said wheel for giving travel tothe tripper, and an arm and connections for moving said wheel into andout of engagement with said pulleys, said arm being weighted to actautomatically when displaced beyond its center of gravity for thepurposes set forth.

Signed this 16th day of April, 1900, at New York, N. Y.

JAMES BARNES HUMIHREY S.

Witnesses:

EDWARD A. FRESHMAN, HAROLD BINNEY.

